South Dakota Gov. Kristi L. Noem (R), a conservative favorite, received a standing ovation at the Conservative Political Action Conference when she criticized Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, for being “wrong a lot” — which the nation’s top infectious-disease expert said was unhelpful.
While making a dig at Fauci at the Orlando conference, Noem touted her personal liberties approach to the coronavirus pandemic, forgoing recommendations to mandate masks and instead allowing a massive motorcycle rally later tied to a national surge in infections. Despite Noem’s claims of success, her state has reported more infections per resident than any state besides North Dakota.
“South Dakota is the only state in America that never ordered a single business or church to close,” she said to applause and cheers. “We never instituted a shelter-in-place order. We never mandated that people wear masks. We never even defined what an essential business is.” Continue reading.